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From my sibling who chose U of T over UBC, he said it was the best decision ever. It really helped him out a lot during carms. There are a number of factors such as prestige, level of training, unique opportunities etc. I would highly suggest considering Toronto!

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From my sibling who chose U of T over UBC, he said it was the best decision ever. It really helped him out a lot during carms. There are a number of factors such as prestige, level of training, unique opportunities etc. I would highly suggest considering Toronto!

 

 

In contrast, I have several friends who went to UBC and matched to highly competitive residencies such as radiology and dermatology. 

Your sibling may have had an absolutely fantastic experience at U of T, but he never went to UBC so he can't really make a fair comparison. I have heard that U of T has a slightly stronger emphasis on research, which may or may not appeal to different individuals. My mentors who are current residents and working doctors have indicated that the single most important factor playing into residency matching is the networking you do during clinical rotations and electives. 

 

@justwannabeadoc I would suggest doing a bit of research and then asking more specific questions on the differences between the two programs as it depends a lot on individual interests (i.e. are you wanting to do research, surgery, family medicine, etc.). Additionally, many medical students say that being happy with the geographical location plays into satisfaction with the school they attended, so consider differences in Toronto vs. Vancouver lifestyle, family/friend connections, etc. 

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IMO the answer to this question should be mainly: do i want to live in vancouver for 4 years (assuming VFMP), or Toronto for 4 years (or partially Mississauga, if MAM). You'll have similar opportunities at both schools, and honestly I don't think anyone can accurately answer which program is "better" because nobody will have ever gone through both.

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I can't comment on which medical program is better. I can only comment on the living experiences, because I have lived in Mississauga, Vancouver and Toronto. They are quite different living lifestyles I personally feel. If you love nature, Vancouver is awesome for that. I love this part of Vancouver. Toronto is lively, big-city like. I also feel Toronto has more opportunities in general as a region due to much higher population and it's Toronto - like one of the most important financial center point in Canada. More opportunities in terms of career. Just my 2 cents!

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I'm in the same boat. I think this is a decision we have to make based on what we value.

 

That being said, I feel I don't know very much about UBC's program and the lifestyle that its students have. Does a class that's so large actually achieve a feeling of community (almost like the feeling back in high school or for a smaller school like Queens), or is it more just make "loose friendships" throughout, do schoolwork and then head home and repeat?

 

Academically, does UBC have a very non-competitive atmosphere? Is the program too difficult and work heavy? Too easy and light?

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I'm in the same boat. I think this is a decision we have to make based on what we value.

 

That being said, I feel I don't know very much about UBC's program and the lifestyle that its students have. Does a class that's so large actually achieve a feeling of community (almost like the feeling back in high school or for a smaller school like Queens), or is it more just make "loose friendships" throughout, do schoolwork and then head home and repeat?

 

Academically, does UBC have a very non-competitive atmosphere? Is the program too difficult and work heavy? Too easy and light?

 

Having gone through both schools (undergrad UBC, grad UofT), UofT definitely has a more competitive atmosphere.  It strives you to achieve higher in that sense if that's something you're looking for.  Most people I've talked to say that if they have a choice, they would choose Toronto over UBC. Ultimately though, it's up to you.  Congrats on having a choice!

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I've lived in Ontario (not in Toronto, but close and spent a lot of time there) and BC (originally from BC). Vancouver is more beautiful in terms of landscape, but it's often raining and downcast, which is a bummer. Ontario is so much more bright and cheerful on any given day, in my opinion. I also love the big city atmosphere of Toronto. Hard to say where I'd rather live, because Vancouver is very beautiful. But if I had to choose, purely in terms of where

I'd rather live, I'd say Toronto gets a slight edge.

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Having gone through both schools (undergrad UBC, grad UofT), UofT definitely has a more competitive atmosphere.  It strives you to achieve higher in that sense if that's something you're looking for.  Most people I've talked to say that if they have a choice, they would choose Toronto over UBC. Ultimately though, it's up to you.  Congrats on having a choice!

 

Thank you! I'm incredibly lucky to be in this position.

 

On interview weekend, I got a very different vibe from the med school. They seemed super relaxed and outgoing to ensure we felt welcome. Maybe the competitiveness can't bee seen in a weekend highlight reel I guess.

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I posted in the other forum (rejections/waitlist/acceptance), but to summarize what I had said:

 

I grew up in BC so I lived there quite a substantial portion of my life. I am currently doing Grad School at UofT and have lived here for a few years now.

 

The main reason I chose UofT for my grad studies is the opportunities that living in Toronto/studying at UofT provides (especially if you're interested in research). There's at least 3 Hospitals within arms reach from Campus. Through my time here I've found it incredibly easy to meet with physicians. UBC is also a good school, but I didn't feel that there were as many accessible resource available and hospitals are more spread out. Keep in mind, I haven't studied in UBC so this is just the feeling I get.

 

As for living in each city...

 

Toronto's a big city - there's always stuff to do. There's a lot of opportunities here both, academically and socially. It's really difficult to get bored here, as there's always something going on.

 

On the other hand, Vancouver/BC is lovely if you enjoy the outdoors but there's nowhere near as many things to do there as Toronto.

 

Overall...

 

I'd say it's really up to you. Personally, I feel that UofT might be better situated in terms of opportunities and stuff to do while giving you the big city lifestyle (which I've come to really enjoy), while UBC may be more chill and allows you to live in BC, which is more outdoorsy and chill but may not have as much as Toronto in terms of opportunities.

 

Whatever you decide, good luck! I'm sure you'll make the right choice.

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Thank you! I'm incredibly lucky to be in this position.

 

On interview weekend, I got a very different vibe from the med school. They seemed super relaxed and outgoing to ensure we felt welcome. Maybe the competitiveness can't bee seen in a weekend highlight reel I guess.

 

 

Having gone through both schools (undergrad UBC, grad UofT), UofT definitely has a more competitive atmosphere.  It strives you to achieve higher in that sense if that's something you're looking for.  Most people I've talked to say that if they have a choice, they would choose Toronto over UBC. Ultimately though, it's up to you.  Congrats on having a choice!

 

Like Dr. Zoidberg, I also got a very relaxed and outgoing vibe from both schools, but I was hoping you could clarify what you mean by the more competitive atmosphere of U of T! Is that in the sense that it's harder to make meaningful connections and/or more "cutthroat/impersonal/detached"? 

 

Thank you :) 

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This is not an easy decision to make. In the end, it is probably your personal preference on location, weather, life style, family, etc, that would make a bigger impact.

 

The statement that a certain Canadian medical school has tremendous advantages over others in CaRMS outcome is false, whether on the basis of actual CaRMS statistics (publicly available online), or the general perception in the field. Things might be a bit different when you go beyond the border, when the prestige of the institution plays a larger role.

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Wouldnt it be better to go to UBC if you want to do residency in BC? id assuem that vancouver hsopitals would prefer UBC grads over Uoft Grads. From the other side, go to uoft if you want to do residency in toronto since hospitals there prefer uoft grads?? can someone confirm this?

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Wouldnt it be better to go to UBC if you want to do residency in BC? id assuem that vancouver hsopitals would prefer UBC grads over Uoft Grads. From the other side, go to uoft if you want to do residency in toronto since hospitals there prefer uoft grads?? can someone confirm this?

 

Program directors prefer good candidates, not necessarily students of the home school. With that said, at least in the specialty I am interested in, people tend to do residency in the province of their medical school. This may be due to the research opportunities in medical school to make connections, easier elective placement, the student's willingness to stay in province, etc. Still, this is probably more related to the geographic proximity, than the program's preference of a school's education curriculum. If you look at CaRMS results, there are quite a bit intra-Ontario movements between schools.

 

So, I think what you said makes sense. If you prefer to stay in a province for residency, or practice, those attracting factors likely also apply to your medical school location choice. Conversely, it also makes sense to go to a new province for medical school. This gives you a good opportunity to really get to know another province, and expand your options for your future career planning. It is much more difficult to move to an entirely new place when you are older, with family and kids, etc. And it is not hard for you to come back to the home province in CaRMS; inter-provincial movements are common.

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Program directors prefer good candidates, not necessarily students of the home school. With that said, at least in the specialty I am interested in, people tend to do residency in the province of their medical school. This may be due to the research opportunities in medical school to make connections, easier elective placement, the student's willingness to stay in province, etc. Still, this is probably more related to the geographic proximity, than the program's preference of a school's education curriculum. If you look at CaRMS results, there are quite a bit intra-Ontario movements between schools.

 

So, I think what you said makes sense. If you prefer to stay in a province for residency, or practice, those attracting factors likely also apply to your medical school location choice. Conversely, it also makes sense to go to a new province for medical school. This gives you a good opportunity to really get to know another province, and expand your options for your future career planning. It is much more difficult to move to an entirely new place when you are older, with family and kids, etc. And it is not hard for you to come back to the home province in CaRMS; inter-provincial movements are common.

thank you for your helpful post! Do you think it's harder to make connections and find opportunities in UBC (not that many hospitals nearby) compared to Uoft? would love to hear your thoughts :D

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thank you for your helpful post! Do you think it's harder to make connections and find opportunities in UBC (not that many hospitals nearby) compared to Uoft? would love to hear your thoughts :D

 

I am happy you find my post helpful. :)

 

As a UBC medical student, I did not have much experience about UofT medical school. So I do not think I can give you a fair answer. But if strictly speaking from my one-sided perspective, I would say the opportunities to make connections at UBC are abundant. Like in most schools I suspect, the limiting factor is more about how motivated you are to get involved. Things can be different if a medical school does not have a certain residency program, which does not apply to either UBC and UofT for most specialties. 

https://phx.e-carms.ca/phoenix-web/pd/main?mitid=1327#

 

Since the new curriculum in 2019 at UBC, there is a dedicated course called FLEX that gives you the flexibility to conduct your own research project on any health-related subjects, from year 1 to year 4. Despite the often dreaded paperwork, most students appreciated the protected curricular time to do something they like. It can be anything, like public health, international health (yes, with travelling to far away places), high school education, HIV intervention, website comparison, etc. Many of us spent the time on clinical research, and some have already published good papers. This will very likely help in CaRMS. Again, I am not familiar with UofT's curriculum, so please do not take it as a comparison.

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@Crust in the other thread had a really good post. Thought I would repost it here:

 

"For those debating between UBC and heading to UofT, I figured I'd throw in my two cents (having lived in both cities (but only studied at UofT)).

 

A little about me: I grew up in BC so I lived there quite a substantial portion of my life. I am currently doing Grad School at UofT and have lived here for a few years now.

 

The main reason I chose UofT for my grad studies is the opportunities that living in Toronto/studying at UofT provides (especially if you're interested in research). It's ranked as one of the top schools in the world, both medical and in general. In addition, there's at least 3 Hospitals within arms reach from Campus, which all have doctors that specialize in  different things, so it's really easy to find your niche. Through my time here I've found it incredibly easy to meet with physicians and this is HUGE for networking and getting placements.

 

In addition, Toronto's a big city - there's always stuff to do. The city is starting to grow on me a lot (yes, this is coming from a Vancouverite, which shocks me too). #westcoastbestcoast But in all seriousness, there's lot of opportunities here not only for medical school but also for involvement in the community and for having fun. It's really difficult to get bored here.

 

As for UBC, I don't know much about the studying in BC. I can say from my time there, Vancouver/BC is lovely if you enjoy the outdoors but there's nowhere near as many things to do there as Toronto. As for the Hospitals in BC, I believe they're a bit more spread out, so you might not have as much expertise directly accessible to you.

 

Overall, I'd say it's really up to you. Vancouver/BC is a great place to live and there's a lot of outdoorsy things to do. The Medical School is good too and they do provide resources spread through all 4 campuses and seem encourage students to get involved. On the other hand, UofT is situated in the center of Canada's biggest city, with a plethora of opportunities to get involved and hospitals within an arms reach. As for the city itself, I truly do enjoy it - There's always something going on, which is why I think I've come to enjoy living here so much, even though I might miss nature and the vibe from BC once in a while."

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People have mentioned that it's difficult to get electives at UBC if you are not at UBC, especially competitive specialties. A couple of people I know have been shut out of ophtho and derm electives there. Just some perspectives. Think about where you want to do residency, I tend to put less emphasis on city/lifestyle factors, and more on long term/career prospectus, but that's a personal preference. 

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People have mentioned that it's difficult to get electives at UBC if you are not at UBC, especially competitive specialties. A couple of people I know have been shut out of ophtho and derm electives there. Just some perspectives. Think about where you want to do residency, I tend to put less emphasis on city/lifestyle factors, and more on long term/career prospectus, but that's a personal preference. 

wow so if u go to uoft it might be hrder to get res in ubc huh :/

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wow so if u go to uoft it might be hrder to get res in ubc huh :/

 

This is true for every school. It's called home school advantage, it's not a "might", it "is" (especially popular programs like Vancouver anything or Toronto anything. If you want psychiatry in rural Newfoundland, maybe not so much). Hence say some one is dead set on derm, well go to a school that have a derm program.

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I'm in the same boat. I think this is a decision we have to make based on what we value.

 

That being said, I feel I don't know very much about UBC's program and the lifestyle that its students have. Does a class that's so large actually achieve a feeling of community (almost like the feeling back in high school or for a smaller school like Queens), or is it more just make "loose friendships" throughout, do schoolwork and then head home and repeat?

 

Academically, does UBC have a very non-competitive atmosphere? Is the program too difficult and work heavy? Too easy and light?

 

 

Having gone through both schools (undergrad UBC, grad UofT), UofT definitely has a more competitive atmosphere.  It strives you to achieve higher in that sense if that's something you're looking for.  Most people I've talked to say that if they have a choice, they would choose Toronto over UBC. Ultimately though, it's up to you.  Congrats on having a choice!

 

 

Thank you! I'm incredibly lucky to be in this position.

 

On interview weekend, I got a very different vibe from the med school. They seemed super relaxed and outgoing to ensure we felt welcome. Maybe the competitiveness can't bee seen in a weekend highlight reel I guess.

 

 

Like Dr. Zoidberg, I also got a very relaxed and outgoing vibe from both schools, but I was hoping you could clarify what you mean by the more competitive atmosphere of U of T! Is that in the sense that it's harder to make meaningful connections and/or more "cutthroat/impersonal/detached"? 

 

Thank you :)

 

Luckily, my undergrad program at UBC and grad program at UofT have both been amazing and supportive.  When I said UofT being "more competitive", it did not mean more "cutthroat/impersonal/detached".  Both schools were great.  UBC has more of a lay-back feel (and I guess Vancouver in general) than UofT.  My experience with UofT was supportive and I was able to make meaningful connections with my classmates.  I feel it's more competitive in the sense that I feel pushed by my peers, whom were outstanding students, to do better.  A little peer-pressure I guess? Because great majority of my classmates were amazing students (some went to become entrepreneur and got their own company, some got news coverage because of some inventions/initiatives they did).  I'm not sure if my experiences with both schools translate to medical programs as I am still a med hopeful and no one can go through both programs and tell us their experience at both.  However, I hope my experience with both schools can help a bit in your decision-making. :)

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From my sibling who chose U of T over UBC, he said it was the best decision ever. It really helped him out a lot during carms. There are a number of factors such as prestige, level of training, unique opportunities etc. I would highly suggest considering Toronto!

 

 

In contrast, I have several friends who went to UBC and matched to highly competitive residencies such as radiology and dermatology. 

Your sibling may have had an absolutely fantastic experience at U of T, but he never went to UBC so he can't really make a fair comparison. I have heard that U of T has a slightly stronger emphasis on research, which may or may not appeal to different individuals. My mentors who are current residents and working doctors have indicated that the single most important factor playing into residency matching is the networking you do during clinical rotations and electives. 

 

@justwannabeadoc I would suggest doing a bit of research and then asking more specific questions on the differences between the two programs as it depends a lot on individual interests (i.e. are you wanting to do research, surgery, family medicine, etc.). Additionally, many medical students say that being happy with the geographical location plays into satisfaction with the school they attended, so consider differences in Toronto vs. Vancouver lifestyle, family/friend connections, etc. 

 

 

@Premed6 As I navigate the process of deciding between U of T and UBC, I would like to go on something a bit more nuanced than epithets such as, "level of training," or, "unique opportunities." As for prestige, well, that's a slippery idea. I would merely encourage any who find the idea of prestige alluring to take a good hard look at that at which they are grasping. I'm not sure I like the trajectory of a life built around other people's nods of approval.

 

@OwnerOfTheTARDIS I think your point about networking/connections can't be overstated.

 

@justwannabeadoc Besides, UBC is plenty prestigious anyway... ;). Wish your friend good luck from me on making his/her big decision!

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